Holiday 2012 - slideshows

Capital of Chile, arrival city in South America after 14-hour flight from Sydney with LAN Airlines. A quite interesting but spread out city, difficult to explore on foot. What we saw of its river, the Mopocho, was singularly uninspiring, although there are parks along one bank. We didn't have time to venture beyond the city.

This splendid Andean city at an elevation of 3400m and a population of about 440,000 was the capital of the Inca empire (1438-1533), but now mostly looks like a fine old Spanish town. The thin mountain air did not affect us. A few shots of the regular Sunday parade in the Plaza de Armas are included.

Legendary Inca city, one of the highpoints of our tour and a pilgrimage fulfilled. This slideshow also includes the scenic train journey to Aguas Calientes, the starting point for the winding bus ride up the mountain to Machu Picchu, plus a few pics of this town.

At 3812m Titicaca, spanning the border of Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest lake in South America. Noted for its floating grass island settlements and the historic Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol). The pics also include Copacabana on the Bolivian shore.

Capital of Bolivia, a remarkable, dense, traffic-clogged city, parts of it hanging off crumbling mountainsides. Highest capital in the world, it merges with its poorer sister, El Alto, on yet higher ground (4150m). Main attraction - Mountains of the Moon, with its daunting unfenced track which tourists are expected to negotiate.

This magnificent and very accessible series of falls (also spelt Iguazu orIguassu) is my top holiday destination. Photos cannot capture their vastness and thunderous energy, the beauty of their surroundings and the richness of the local wildlife. But planning and luck are needed to see them at their best.

Yes, you need to see the falls from both sides (some people say from the air too). An astonishing variety of butterflies here (difficult to photograph with a snappy camera), also birds (including Hornbills) and animals, the most conspicuous of which is the fearless Coati that frequents outdoor restaurant areas. One of them snatched my unopened carton of juice from the table!

The overcrowded capital of Argentina (metropolitan population 13 million), renowned for its architecture, football stadiums (Boca Juniors and River Plate), the immensely wide River Plate itself (not pictured here), nightlife, tango shows and festivals.